Pokémon Evil 0
by Snake Doctor
Summary: A rookie cop is tasked with tracking down an escaped convict. She finds him, and a night of terror ensues. Rated M for graphic injuries. On hold while I work on other stuff.
1. The Forest

_**July 23, 1998**_

**_It began as a simple investigation of some bizarre murders in the suburbs of Cerulean City. Nothing in our training could have prepared us for the nightmare that ensued. We never stood a chance…_**

**

* * *

**

Rebecca Chambers sat gripping her seat as the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team's helicopter flew over the forest. Normally flying didn't make her so nervous. She had trained countless of times in helicopters, from getting onto one to jumping out of one. Rebecca had never been scared of heights, either. Nor was she a constant worrier.

She wasn't nervous about accompanying five men she barely knew out on a night flight over woods she had spent barely any time in. This was the Special Tactics And Rescue Service of Cerulean City, a special unit of the local police department. This was Bravo Team, her assigned team. The fact she was the only woman in it had never bothered her. Neither had any of the men.

No, she was nervous because this was her first mission. And it was a doozy.

Lately, a series of bizarre homicides have occurred in the forests around Mt. Moon, northwest of Cerulean City. Victims have been mostly hikers and people living in the area. Their bodies were found with various wounds, ranging from deep bites and scratches to total dismemberment. In one case a single body had been strewn over a hundred meter area. There have been no witnesses to the murders. At first, it was blamed on wild pokémon, mainly ursaring and luxray, and people were merely warned to exercise caution and not to travel alone or at night.

But, an autopsy on one of the intact bodies had revealed bite marks that only could have come from a human being. Suddenly the police had a mass murder on their hands. The blame quickly shifted from animals to a serial killer. The increasing number of murders soon led investigators to believe there were multiple killers, and ruled them to be the work of a previously unknown cult. The area was evacuated, and the police were put to work scouring the mountains.

For a while, the murders stopped. Then a family was found dead in their home, inside the city. Husband, wife, and children were all torn apart and partially eaten. A citywide panic ensued. The mayor ordered the police to stay in the city and protect the people there. Nightly patrols were conducted through the streets. With the regular police already working, the S.T.A.R.S unit was ordered to go into the mountains and track down the murderers.

Rebecca had personally seen some of the victims, and couldn't believe people could do something like that. It also terrified her. But she refused to let her fear show through. She was the unit medic. If someone was seriously hurt, her work would decide if he lived or died. She had to stay composed, and keep her act together.

"Doing alright, Becky?"

Rebecca looked up at Richard Aiken, sitting across from her. He had a custom-made shotgun partially disassembled on his lap. Richard loved his shotgun, and made sure it was always clean and ready for immediate use. He offered her a friendly smile. "You look nervous."

She glanced out the window, avoiding his gaze. "I'm fine," she told him.

"Leave the lady alone, Richard," Forest Speyer said. A large man, Forest was one of the finest marksman in the unit, and was Bravo Team's sniper. His rifle leaned on the wall against him, sling wrapped around his arm so it didn't fall out of the helicopter. Despite his formidable appearance, he had a sense of humor and loved messing with newer members.

Forest winked at Rebecca."Rebecca owes me a date when we get back, and I don't need you traumatizing her."

Richard put on an indignant expression. "Traumatizing? Who's traumatizing? I hear when you were born your mother looked at you and nearly had a heart attack."

Kenneth Sullivan laughed. "Forest lives in a fantasy world, where all the women flock to him." He took Rebecca's hand in his and gazed into her eyes. "Run away with me, love, and we'll leave these sorry excuses for men far behind." The dark man smiled. "You know what they say about going black, right?"

Despite herself, Rebecca giggled. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said. Kenneth was Bravo Team's point man and was in charge of scouting and reconnaissance. He was also the team's hazardous materials specialist.

Enrico Marini reached over and slapped Kenneth on the head. "We're on a mission. How about we act like, guys." Enrico was the Bravo Team leader, and second-in-command of S.T.A.R.S. He was a quiet and practical man, speaking only when he had something he felt worth saying. Rebecca always liked that quality about him. She also liked his dominating mustache.

Enrico turned around to talk to the pilots. "How far are we from the landing site?" he asked.

Kevin Dooley checked his instruments. He was the only one in the vehicle that wasn't with the S.T.A.R.S. unit. He was nominated to join, though, so Enrico was using this mission to train him. "We're about three klicks away, sir. Should be about ten minutes."

"Seven," the co-pilot said. Edward Dewey was the official Bravo Team pilot, but for this mission, he was serving as co-pilot. "Come on, Dooley, we're the local badasses, so we need exact time. And we could go faster if we were flying higher." Kevin blushed and pulled back on the control stick, raising the nose up towards the sky.

Rebecca leaned back in her seat and tried to relax. She was in the company of five trained police officers. And she wasn't exactly a rookie herself. If anything went wrong, they should be able to handle it.

That, and most of them had pokémon. When new officers joined, they were given the option of working with a pokémon. Many didn't use the city-issued breeds, preferring to catch their own, and some preferred a gun to a creature when it came to combat. In fact, the only other people that had pokémon with them were Richard and Enrico. Since Rebecca wasn't exactly the best shot in the world (which is why she opted to be a medic), she had accepted the provided pokémon. She chose a vulpix, and named it Fox. She had worked and trained with him, developing him into a suitable team member. She stroked the pokéball on her belt, gaining some comfort from it.

All that comfort disappeared with a loud bang.

The helicopter shuddered violently and started dropping. The whistling wind and the rattling engine made an incredible amount of noise. Enrico leaned up front and had to yell in Kevin's ear to be heard. "What's going on!"

"Engine failure!" Kevin grunted. The g-forces made it hard for him to talk.

"Emergency landing, now!" Edward yelled.

The barrel of Richard's shotgun flew up to the ceiling. Richard quickly reached up to grab it and wrapped up all his gun parts, hugging the bundle to his chest. Kenneth and Forest stared at each other, while Enrico watched Kevin and Edward work the controls. Rebecca grabbed onto to the first handhold she could find and tried not to throw up.

The helicopter dropped rapidly, straight into the trees. The branches buckled beneath it, but one stubborn limb caught it on the tail and sent the helicopter into a spin. All Bravo team could do was hang on until the helicopter landed with a bone-rattling crash.

Dirt and dust flew up into the air, choking the team. "Status!" Enrico coughed.

"One up," Forest said.

"Two up," said Richard.

"Three up," Edward said.

"Hang on." Kenneth reached down and pulled a twig out of his arm. "Four up,"

"Five up," Rebecca said. She pulled a first aid kit from the wall and pulled out a bandage.

"Six up," Kevin said.

"Everyone out," Enrico ordered. "Fan out around the crash site."

Soon the group had established a circular perimeter around the site, kneeling with weapons pointed towards the forest. The only exceptions were Rebecca, who was bandaging Kenneth, and Kevin, who was trying to make contact on the radio. Richard quickly assembled his shotgun, kissing it before turning his eyes to his surroundings. Forest had his sniper rifle slung over his back, preferring to use his M-16A2 for medium range combat. Kenneth had a SPAS-12 combat shotgun, with extra shells in small holsters lining the butt of the weapon. Enrico and Edward both used M-4s, while Rebecca and Kevin had been issued M9 Beretta pistols. Between the seven of them there was enough ammo and firepower to clear a large house.

"Alpha Team, Bravo Team. Alpha Team, Bravo Team."

Enrico left his position to talk with Kevin. "Raise anyone?"

"No, sir." Kevin tapped the dented radio console. "It's about as broke as it can get."

"Okay, then. Bravo, new plan." Enrico raised his voice slightly so they could all hear him. "Kevin, you stay with the chopper and do what you can. Since the radio's out, you can start with the engine." Kevin nodded and crawled into the passenger compartment to reach the toolbox.

"Everyone else," Enrico continued, "will be doing recon. I want to know about every rock, tree, and crazy psychopath within a three hundred meter radius of this spot. No one goes alone."

They divided up. Richard and Edward went west, while Kenneth and Forest went north. Rebecca paired with Enrico, both of them going south. "I'll yell if I need anything!" Kevin said.

Surprisingly, Rebecca and Enrico only had to walk for a couple minutes before they found a dirt road. "Which way, sir?" Rebecca asked.

Enrico pointed behind her. Rebecca followed his gaze. The road curved into the woods, but Rebecca could see a bright white light shining through the trees. She turned back to Enrico to say something, but he put a finger to his lips, the universal signal for silence. Together, they stepped down the road, walking in faded car tracks to avoid the gravel. They came around the curb with weapons drawn.

A van was flipped over on the side of the road. The light had come from the high beams, indicating that this was a recent accident. Supporting that theory were the two dead men still bleeding all over the dirt. Rebecca ran to them but Enrico quickly pulled her back.

"Assess the situation before you run in," he reprimanded. "Now, what do you see?"

Rebecca slowly looked around. The van was black, and the doors were smashed in. The letters **MP** adorned both sides of the vehicle. The windshield was also smashed, and glass was everywhere. But, Rachel didn't see any sign of danger. She looked at Enrico, who nodded. "Situational awareness," he said. "Now, we can investigate."

Rebecca went to inspect the bodies while Enrico checked the van. Both victims were dressed in military fatigues and Kevlar armor. The men had injuries similar to the homicide victims. One had deep scratches running across his face, while the other had his vest and upper torso ripped open. The fact they were dead meant they were beyond help, so she uttered a quick prayer and moved on.

Enrico crunched across the glass, bending low to look in the passenger seat. The chair was torn to shreds, and there was a bloody trail leading to one of the men. He ran his hand over it. It was still wet. The man had been dragged outside the car through the windshield, where he was presumably killed. The driver seat was undamaged, suggesting the driver had already been dead when he was removed. But that didn't explain what had driven the van off the road, let alone flipped it. There weren't any ditches on the sides of the road.

"Captain!"

Enrico looked up at Rebecca to see her holding something. He went to take a look. She was holding an officlal-looking document with another man's picture on it.

"'Court order for transportation: Second Lieutenant Billy Coen, of the United States Marine Corps. Court martial: sentenced to death July 22. Prisoner to be transported to Oregethon Base for execution..."

"Those poor soldiers," The rest of Bravo team had walked up without Rebecca noticing. Edward grabbed the document and inspected it. "They were good men, just doing their jobs. And that scum murdered them and escaped."

"Alright, team," Enrico said. "This isn't the landing site, but we're here, and we have a job to do. Spread out and survey the area. Our friend is brutal and ruthless, so keep your guard up."

Rebecca was feeling nervous again.


	2. The Train

Bravo Team split up again. This time, Rebecca went with Edward, and Enrico paired with Richard. They all went in different directions, with Enrico taking the document. "The suspect is to be considered armed and dangerous," he told them. "You will give him one chance to cooperate. If he fails to do so, use deadly force."

Rebecca wasn't thrilled about the possibility she might have to kill someone. She followed behind Edward silently, both with weapons out. Edward, having the more powerful weapon, had insisted on taking point.

They walked for a bit, listening and watching for any movement. The moon was full and bright, casting the entire forest in moonlight. Of course, this also meant there were shadows everywhere. Both cops were moving with as much caution as possible. They would each take about ten steps, then stop and listen. It was during one of these stops when Rebecca noticed something. She tapped Edward on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Edward," she whispered.

The man turned around. "Do you hear something?"

"That's the thing," she told him. "I don't."

It was the middle of summer. The forest should have been filled with the sounds of nocturnal pokémon. Hooting notcowl, humming kricketune, and fluttering of a zubats' wings. But the woods were absolutely silent. The only thing Rebecca had heard the entire time was her and Edward's footsteps.

Edward nodded. He had noticed it too. "Let's keep moving. We won't find anything standing here."

They eventually noticed a barren spot beyond the trees. Edward advanced cautiously, while Rebecca remained behind the wood line to provide him with cover. Moonlight covered the entire spot. She could clearly see Edward stop and inspect something on the ground. He motioned her over.

"Look at this," he whispered when she ran over. "Railroad tracks."

The barren spot had a set of train tracks running across it. The tracks stretched out of sight in two different directions. "That is weird," Rebecca remarked. "There aren't any stations out here, are there?"

"There's one in Cerulean. The train comes by early in the morning and later in the evening. It's a passenger train, though, and it always came from the south. I always assumed it came from Saffron City." Edward touched the rails tentatively. "The rails are warm."

Rebecca was confused. "Why does that mean anything? It was a hot day."

"The friction from train wheels can heat up the tracks," Edward explained. "The fact their warm means the train came by a couple hours ago."

"But I thought you said the only train around here leaves during the evening."

"I did. It always hits the station at six in the morning and six in the evening." He stood and looked at her. "What time do you have?"

Rachel checked her watch. "It's almost eleven o'clock."

"These tracks should be cold by now," Edward said. He stared at the ground, deep in thought. "We're north of Cerulean City, so this couldn't be the Saffron City train."

"But if it's not," Rebecca asked, "where did it come from?"

"Let's follow the tracks," Edward suggested. "They'll lead us to a station."

They retreated back into the trees and walked along, being careful to stay quiet and hidden. The tracks lead them on for a while. But it wasn't too long before they found the train.

"What happened here?" said Edward. Rebecca just stared in shock.

The train was _gutted_. That was the only word Rebecca could think of to describe it. Windows were smashed in, doors were hanging open, and large dents covered the cars. Rebecca counted six carriages in all, and all of them looked like some giant teething toddler had chewed on them. There were barely legible words printed across the top of each car, **ECLIPTIC EXPRESS**.

"What could have done this?" Rebecca finally said.

"A bomb?" Edward was just as puzzled as she was. "That convict again?"

Rebecca didn't think so. A bomb from the inside could not have damaged all the cars without knocking at least one off the rails, or completely destroying another. And a bomb from the outside would have completely derailed the train. The Ecliptic Express, if that was the name of the train, was still on the tracks. All six cars.

"Wait," Rebecca said. "This looks like a passenger train. Where are all the people?"

"Something is very wrong here," Edward stated.

* * *

Kevin crouched on top of the helicopter, arms deep in the engine. His toolbox lay next to him, along with various parts he had removed. As far as Kevin could tell, nothing looked wrong. He couldn't understand what had made the engine fail. Muttering to himself, he stuck his head inside the compartment.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered. Turns out, the engine had overheated, badly. The fuel filter was melted to the engine block. The bang had been some fumes igniting and exploding, so the half that wasn't melted was embedded in other places. Kevin crawled out and glared at the damage. He would need some spare parts, and lots of them. A quick search of the chopper did not result in anything that could be used for repairs. Kevin cursed again and got out his radio. "Edward, Kevin."

The radio emitted a short burst of static. Edward was quick to respond. "Kevin, Edward. How're things going? Over."

Kevin sighed. "Edward, Kevin. She's not leaving the ground. At all. We need parts, and lots of them. Over."

* * *

Edward sighed. He turned to Rebecca. "Did you hear all that?"

Rebecca nodded. "More bad news."

Edward looked around for a moment. "It doesn't look like anyone is around," he said without looking at her. "I'm going to go see if I can help Kevin. You get aboard that train and look around."

"Wait a minute," Rebecca said. "There's an escaped convict in the woods, and he probably killed two people. Enrico was right when he said we should stick together."

"And Kevin is all alone at the chopper, and according to him, there's nothing useful he can do there." Edward looked down at her. "I can't tell him to meet up with us, he doesn't know where we are. So, I'll have to go get him."

"Why can't I come with you, then?"

"Because the train needs to be inspected," Edward told her. "You also need to learn how to work solo for a bit and since there's no danger here, now's a good time to do it."

"But I – "

Edward clapped her shoulder. "You'll be fine. You're well trained, and you've got a good head on your shoulders. And if you need help, you have a radio. And a pokémon." He pointed at the nearest carriage. "Now, get on that train. I'll be back in ten minutes."

There was no point to argue. Rebecca turned climbed up a small set of stairs to the door. She turned to look back at Edward, but he was already gone. Sighing to herself, she entered the train.

* * *

Edward had told Kevin to expect him in five minutes. So Kevin spent that time checking his weapon and supplies. He had two twelve round magazines, and a combat knife if things got dicey. Despite the recent turn of events, Kevin had a good feeling about this mission. He was a capable pilot and police officer. Kevin felt he would have no problem proving he would make a good addition to the S.T.A.R.S. unit.

The sound of approaching footsteps made him look up. Kevin checked his watch. Five minutes on the dot. He holstered his pistol and stood up. "Bout time, Edward," he said as he walked forward.

* * *

The door lead Rebecca to a small room between the cars. She was in some sort of connection tube. Its purpose was to provide a safe and easy way for the train staffers and passengers to move between cars. To left was a door that said **KITCHEN**, and to her right was a door that said **DINING**. She tried the kitchen door, but it was locked. So she took the right door.

And instantly regretted it.

The people hadn't gone anywhere. Rebecca could see them everywhere. Men in nice suits, women in fancy dresses. The waiters were dressed in black vests and pants over white shirts. In the corner was a chef, complete with chef's hat. And they were all dead.

Bodies were strewn across the seats and tables. Some were lying in the middle of the isle. Broken glasses and dishes were everywhere. What dishes remained intact still had food on them. These people had been killed while eating their evening meals. It was a massacre.

Rebecca covered up her mouth to keep from screaming. And vomiting. She stumbled back out into the tube and quickly shut the door. "Oh God, oh God, oh God…"

Finally, Rebecca composed herself. She'd seen dead bodies before, the most recent being minutes ago. There was no excuse for acting like this. She was an officer of the law, and a special ops one at that. Rebecca pulled out her pokéball and whispered a single word.

"Fox."

With a flash of white light, her vulpix bounded out of his ball. She immediately knelt down to talk to him. "We're working now, Fox. So this is the real thing. I need you to be as professional as possible, okay? No noise."

Fox nodded and nuzzled her leg. Rebecca scratched his head affectionately and took a deep breath. She stood back up, and stepped back into the dining car.

Sightless eyes stared at her from every direction. Fox trotted out and started sniffing the bodies. Rebecca slowly followed him, keeping her pistol lowered but ready. A cursory glance revealed no danger, so she holstered her weapon and began her investigation.

Now that she was thinking clearly, Rebecca began noticing some seriously weird things. First of all, every body she looked at had the same kinds of wounds. Every visible piece of skin had a small circle scraped into it, with a ragged hole right in the middle of the circle. The holes were wide enough to stick her thumb in, while the circles were about the size of her fist. People had them on their arms, legs, faces…Rebecca could even see where patches of clothing had been torn away. She almost became sick again.

"Wait a minute," she muttered. Rebecca started counting bodies. Just from where she was standing, Rebecca could see seven dead people, and there were probably more out of sight. How do you kill over seven people and not leave one splash of blood anywhere?

Now, she had a reason to be scared. She picked up her radio. "Edward, Rebecca."

Nothing. Just static. Perfect. "Edward, come in. This is Rebecca. Over."

More static.

Rebecca felt a shiver go down her spine. Shaking slightly, she clipped her radio back on her belt and brought out her pistol. Trying not to freak out again, she slowly looked around. "Fox?"

A scratching sound behind her made her jump a mile. She whirled around, pistol straight out in front of her. "Who's there?"

The scratching sound was coming from the opposite end of the carriage. Rebecca could see Fox standing next to a door. She suddenly felt very stupid. Fox whined and scratched at the door. He sniffed under it and cried softly. "_Vul…"_

Shaking her head, Rebecca walked forward and knelt next to Fox, rubbing his back as she did so. "What'd you find?"

This door had a window on it, as did the one beyond it. There was another tube connecting her car to another. She cautiously looked through the doors, then pressed her back up against the wall next to her door. There were bodies in the other car, and from what she could see, they were killed in the same way.

_Oh, boy…_

She eased the first door open, keeping her pistol pointed into the other car. She did the same with the next door. Rebecca edged forward slowly, waiting for Fox to come in before closing the door behind him.

Then she heard a voice. It was a man. He was speaking loudly and clearly, and he was somewhere in the car.

"This is Officer Chambers of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team!" Rebecca called out. "Please identify yourself."

The man kept on talking. Rebecca moved forward, checking all the seats as she passed. Fox started following her, but stopped and started edging back towards the door. He snarled and bared his teeth.

"Fox, stop, he probably needs our help!" Indeed, someone who just kept babbling when confronted by a police officer had to be traumatized or something. Given what Rebecca had just seen, she was more surprised to find someone breathing. But then, she heard a different voice. A female voice. Rebecca stopped and listened. Fox stayed where he was, only now he was whining.

"Is someone there?" Rebecca said. She kept walking forward, slowly.

The lady was saying something about the government. Her voice was really loud now, sounding like she was right next to her. But Rebecca was standing next to an empty seat. She moved up to the next one.

There was no woman. It was a man. And his left eye was hanging out of its socket.

At least, she thought it was his eye. Around the eyehole was one of those same circles. But instead of a hole, there was a single piece of…something…hanging out. It was a string connected to half of a yellow ball. The voices she was hearing? A radio was laying on the seat next to the man.

_Get into law enforcement, Dad said. Do something worthwhile, he said. _Rebecca reached down and picked up the radio. She shut it off and sighed. Holstering her gun, she walked back towards Fox. "Come on, let's go find Edward."

Something had Fox riled up. Fox snarled and barked loudly, then turned and ran to the door. Then he turned back around and looked at her, whining again. Rebecca stopped, confused. She had never seen Fox like this before. In fact, she had seen Fox take down a grown man almost five times her size. Rebecca had always considered him fearless. "What's wrong with you?" she asked. The only reply she got was another whine.

Then, Rebecca heard a groan behind her. She turned around just in time to see the one-eyed dead man stand up.


	3. Crazy Train

"Christ!" Rebecca yelled. The man moaned again and stumbled towards her. She backed away a little, looking concerned. Fox growled menacingly, but stayed where he was.

"I'm okay, Fox," Rebecca said. She realized she had stopped breathing for a moment. Rebecca pulled out her badge and took a step towards the man. "It's alright, sir, I'm with CPD, you'll be just – "

The man swiped at her with his arm. Rebecca was slapped in the head and knocked to the ground. She immediately rolled to her feet and dropped into a crouch, rubbing her head. Rebecca was too shocked to say anything for a couple of seconds. But as the man slouched towards her again, she stood up.

"Sir? Just calm down for a second." Rebecca was speaking calmly. "My name is Rebecca Chambers, and I'm with the S.T.A.R.S. unit in Cerulean City. You have been gravely injured. Please, let me help you." Fox was barking angrily.

The man continued to ignore her and just kept walking forward. Rebecca started backing away, keeping her eyes on him. She was starting to get nervous again. But she squashed her fear and stared at the man with a determined expression. She was a medic, this man was injured, and delirious or not, he needed her help badly.

Deciding the man wasn't going to listen to her, she stepped forward and waited. When he slapped at her again, she grabbed his arm and twisted around, using his momentum to throw him over her shoulder. He fell on his face, flat on the ground. Before he could get back up, Rebecca grabbed his arm again and rolled him over, sitting on his chest as she did so. She reached behind her back for her medical pouch, but the man reached up and gripped her shoulders. So she grabbed his right arm and rolled off of him to his side, holding his head between her thighs and thrust her hips up against his arm. A classic straight arm bar. He groaned (_Angrily?)_ and struggled wildly.

"Sir, I'm trying to help you! If you don't stop moving you'll – " There was a loud _snap!_ and Rebecca sighed. The idiot had just broken his own arm. _One more thing to fix…_

To her complete and total surprise, an arm swooped down from the sky and clawed her chest. It was a completely different arm from the one she was holding. She looked up and saw the man flat on his face, snapping at the ground, his left arm groping for her right breast. His only arm, Rebecca noticed.

The man hadn't just broken his arm. He had torn it off. And he didn't seem to care all that much.

Revolted, Rebecca rolled off the man and sprang to her feet, tossing his other arm as far as she could. Fox was going insane now, frothing at the mouth. She knelt next to him, trying to calm him down and to keep from freaking out herself.

The one-eyed, one-armed man was using his left arm to drag himself towards Rebecca and Fox. Rebecca saw, with increasing horror, that his grievous wounds bled no blood whatsoever. His hanging eye flopped on the ground, eventually getting stuck under him and snapping off. Jagged pieces of bone hung from where his right arm used to be. Rebecca actually threw up a little in her mouth. Swallowing her bile, she stood back up.

Something was very wrong with this man. He needed help, and Rebecca was going to give it to him. She quickly walked up and dealt him a hard kick in the head. And screamed as his head snapped off and went rolling under a table.

Rebecca was shocked. She had only meant to render him unconscious. Not kill the guy. Fox whined and crouched between her legs. She reached down to pet him, eyes watering.

The sound of more moans made her look up. Another man and a woman were walking down the aisle toward her, groaning as they went. Sightless eyes stared past her, yet it was obvious they were coming for her. "Oh, man," Rebecca muttered.

A blow from behind knocked her forward. She turned around, arms raised. The cook from the corner growled and swiped at her again. Rebecca ducked under his arm and punched him in the gut. There was no effect. He just grabbed her and sank his teeth into her shoulder. Rebecca cried out and nearly fainted from the pain.

Fox hit the cook in the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground. He drug Rebecca to the ground with him, but his grip had loosened, allowing Rebecca to push him off of her. She climbed to her feet, holding her bleeding shoulder, and moved away from the man. The cook got back up, but at least now he and his two friends where in front of her.

"Freeze!" she shouted. Her weapon hand was shaking. "Stop or I'll shoot!" But the people just kept on coming. Rebecca aimed at the cook's chest and fired off two shots. Both shots hit home, blowing a large hole in his sternum. He stumbled back a couple of steps, but started moving towards her again.

Rebecca resisted the urge to start shooting wildly. As calmly as she could, she shifted her aim to the cook's legs. A single shot in his left thigh brought him to the ground, reducing his walk to less than a crawl. She did the same thing with the other two, and turned to run back into the other car.

Through the two windows she could see that there were more people back in the other dining car. She was starting to panic now. The cook and his friends were slowly dragging themselves toward her along the floor. Soon they would reach her, and drag her to the ground to kill her.

Fox sprang in front of her and unleashed a torrent of fire. Flames enveloped the people, burning all their clothes and hair off of them. When Fox stopped his attack, all that was left of them were blackened husks. But before Rebecca could even breathe easier, more dead people got up out of their seats and moved towards her. Rebecca picked Fox up with her good arm and ran past them as fast as she could, into the next car. Thankfully, there were no not-so-dead people in this one, just a narrow hallway with two doors to her right. She tried the first one and opened it, quickly stepping into the room.

It was a bedroom of sorts, with two beds connected to the wall in bunk bed formation. Rebecca slouched onto the bottom one and finally moved her hand off of her shoulder. The bite wasn't deep, so she wasn't bleeding too badly. But the average human mouth had more germs in it than the world had people, so infection was a strong possibility. She reached into her medical pouch and pulled out a small case full of bandages and disinfectant. As she dressed her wound, Fox jumped up next to her and sniffed her arm. "_Vulpix,_" he whined.

"I'm okay, Fox. Thanks." She pulled out a green spray canister and sprayed her wound. This medicine was made from herbs only found in the Mt. Moon area. The herbs were known for their potent healing properties, and were used to make disinfectant solutions, vaccines, and antibiotics. Medicines made from these herbs were able to kill any known virus or bacteria. Rebecca put the canister back in the case and bandaged her shoulder. When she was done, she dropped the case back in her medical pouch and got her radio back out. "Bravo Team, Rebecca. Bravo Team, Rebecca. Over."

Nothing but more static. Rachel checked the battery power. Almost fully charged. She tried again. "Bravo Team, Rebecca."

"Rebecca, Richard. What's up? Over."

Rebecca was so relieved to hear a sane person's voice. Tears filled her eyes, and her voice cracked a little. "Oh God, Richard. Are you okay? Where's – "

"Maintain comm protocol, rookie!" Richard cut her off. "Calm down, Becky. Breathe a little. I'm not going anywhere."

Rebecca took a couple deep breaths, and then spoke again. "Richard, Rebecca. I have made hostile contact, and I have no idea where my partner is. Over."

"Rebecca, Richard. Say again. Over."

"Richard, Rebecca. Edward is missing. Over."

"Rebecca, Richard. We know. So is Kevin. I'm with Enrico, and Forrest and Kenneth are accounted for. What is your position? When is the last time you saw Edward? Over."

"Richard, Rebecca. Position unknown. Edward and I found an abandoned train in the forest. Then Kyle radioed Edward reporting about the helicopter, so Edward had me investigate the train while he went to get Kyle. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Say again. What train? Over."

"Enrico, Rebecca. There is a train sitting on train tracks about half a klick away from the crash site. I am currently investigating, but I have encountered some hostile activity. Three people attacked me, and they have been eliminated. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Stay with the train. Continue your investigation. Richard and I will link up with Kenneth and Forrest and rendezvous back at the chopper. Do not report back unless you have information on Coehn, Edward, or Kevin. In that order. Over."

"But, sir, what about our original mission?"

"Fuck it, rookie. We have two men missing and a convict we know nothing about running around the woods. We're going to get the chopper radio working so we can call Alpha Team for back up. Failing that, we're hiking back home. If you don't find anything on the train, consider the mission failed. Over and out."

Rebecca replaced the radio on her belt and lay back on the bed. She didn't know if she had just heard good news or worse news. Fox nudged her out of concern. She reached over and scratched his chin, then sat back up.

A quick walk around the room didn't reveal much. But Rebecca did find a handgun magazine, which struck her as odd. There was no reason anyone on this train, passenger or otherwise, should have a gun. Luckily, it was full of 9mm rounds, and it fit her pistol. So she put it with her other ammunition and stepped back out into the hallway and into the next room. Fox followed her.

This room had a little more in it. There was a single bed and a desk with a typewriter on it. There was a roll of ink ribbons next to it, as well as a pot of dirt with some dark green plants growing in it. Rebecca immediately went and picked the plants. They were one of the herbs that grew in the area, and might prove to be very helpful later.

This desk had drawers on it, so she decided to search them. The first drawer was full of bloodstained papers. Most were illegible, but one of them had enough writing on it to make out most of the words. She gently pulled it out and laid it on the desk to read.

* * *

_**Investigation Orders**_

_8 miles north of Cerulean City, near Mt. Moon, lies our comp ny's Management Training facility. It was shut down years ago. Now, w are conducting a preliminary tudy into the re-opening of the faci ities. First investigation Unit is alre dy on-site and opening th investi ation. I want yo r team to provide supp t. _

* * *

The rest was illegible. Rebecca reread the document, trying to decipher the legible bits. Were there living people on this train? She doubted it almost immediately. These papers were covered in blood, and odds are gun shots would have attracted anything alive. Or not-so-dead.

Rebecca had no idea what would make seemingly dead people suddenly spring up and attack her. And make them almost invulnerable to gun fire. She looked down at Fox, who was sniffing a corner. If Fox hadn't acted when he did…

She couldn't be thinking about that. Rebecca gently folded the document and placed it in her medical pouch. "Come on, Fox," she muttered. Fox eagerly jumped next to her as she went back out into the hall. It turned a corner next to some windows, and then turned into another corner. At the end of the hall was another dead man. He was dressed like one of the workers, but his corpse was brutally cut open. Organs were strewn everywhere. Only this time, there was blood. For some reason, that was reassuring.

Rebecca slowly drew her weapon and advanced towards the man's body. "Hello?" she called loudly. The other people had only responded when she started talking to them. She wanted to make damn sure this guy wasn't going to get up anytime soon. Only after staring at him for a couple minutes did she move forward to inspect the cadaver.

He was gripping something in his right hand. It was shiny, and had a small red tab connected to it by a short plastic chain. Rebecca forced the man's hand open and retrieved the item. It was a key. "Well, this looks helpful," she muttered. She stood up, turned around, and stared in shock at the magnum pointed at her face.

It took a bit to register the arm gripping the weapon. The arm was covered in tattoos, and the owner was a man with long black hair and a scowl on his face. Rebecca recognized him from the document she found in the van.

"Lieutenant Billy Coehn."

The man's eyes widened for a bit, but the scowl remained. So did the weapon. "So, you know me," said Billy. He looked her up and down. "Been fantasizing 'bout me, have you?"

Fox growled. Billy stared at him coldly. "Think you can take me down before I pull the trigger? Not on my worst day, pup."

Rebecca pressed herself against the wall, slowly reaching for her weapon. "You're the one who was with those soldiers," she muttered. "The one who was going to be executed."

Billy eyed her coldly. "What's it to you?"

"I am Officer Rebecca Chambers, and you're under arrest." She quickly drew her pistol and pointed it straight in Billy's face. "Drop the weapon and get down on the ground, now!"

"Huh." Billy seemed a little surprised. But instead of complying, he turned around and stuck his revolver in his belt. "No thanks, dollface." He rounded the corner and walked away. Fuming, Rebecca followed him, pointing her weapon at his exposed back. Fox barked loudly.

"I could shoot you know!" she yelled.

"But you won't." Billy didn't even turn around. He just kept walking. "Nice vulpix, by the way."

Rebecca heard a door open and close and started to follow him, when the window next to her exploded. Amid the flying glass, a man burst through the open window and landed face first on the ground. He was bleeding heavily, and moaning. Rebecca rolled him over and gasped.

"Edward!"

Edward coughed. Blood dribbled out of his mouth. Rebecca propped him up against the wall in a sitting position. Edward's uniform was torn and bloody. Deep scratches went across the top of his head. His M4 was gripped in his hand so tightly his knuckles were white, and he was shivering violently. Rebecca removed her medical pouch and dumped everything out. She picked up some bandages and a tourniquet. "Edward, talk to me! What happened?"

"Rebecca...we..." He coughed again. "Kevin..."

"Come on, Edward. What about Kevin?"

"Rebecca...woods. Don't go..."

Rebecca wrapped one of his legs up in the tourniquet and rolled a bandage around it. She checked her watch and wrote the time on the bandage with a marker. She started doing the same with his left arm. But he was badly hurt. Edward needed a doctor, immediately. "Edward, you're hurt badly, I'm going to get you back to the crash site - "

"NO!" Edward suddenly sat straight up and gripped her arm, so hard it hurt. There was a manic, fearful look in his eyes. "Don't go in the forest! No!" Rebecca tried to push him back down, but he wasn't moving. "There are monsters! Tore Kevin to pieces!"

"Edward, you have to calm down, you'll go into shock - "

"We're all dead! You hear me? Kevin's dead, I'm dead! Run, Becky!" Edward slumped forward just as suddenly as he sprang up.

"Edward?" Rebecca shook him slightly. Edward just stared at the floor. Soon Rebecca realized that the only thing holding him up was his death grip on her arm. She pried his fingers loose and gently laid him back against the wall. Fox let out a long, drawn out howl. Rebecca felt like joining him. She almost forgot she had to call Enrico.

But as she was reaching for her radio, Fox started growling again. From outside she heard a loud snarl, and a black pokémon jumped through the broken window. The pokémon turned and snarled at her and Fox, giving Rebecca a good long look at it.

Rebecca was horrified. It was a luxray. Black fur covered most of the feline's body, with blue fur on the face, body, and hind legs. Spiky black fur formed a mane on top of the pokémon's head, and more black fur covered it's rear. A long tail flicked to and fro behind it, ending in a star. But this luxray had to be sick or something, because its fur was patchy. The skin under the fur was a disgusting shade of green, and looked rotten. It was also missing an eye, and Rebecca could see what looked like pieces of bone jutting up through its face.

Rebecca heard glass shatter behind her. She turned around and brought back out her pistol. There was another luxray behind her, this one also with skin rotting off of it. Fox breathed a burst of fire at the newcomer, but it just leapt away and hissed. Rebecca turned to face the other luxray. The luxray roared and leapt at her, claws reaching up for her face.


	4. Enter Coehn

**First pokémon bioweapon. I think I did it some justice.**

**

* * *

**

Rebecca slammed herself against the wall and managed to dodge the attack. When the luxray landed beside her, she kicked it away and fired a shot at it. The round hit the luxray in the chest, blowing back out of its neck and into the wall behind it. It didn't even flinch, just bounded back around the corner out of her line of fire.

Behind her, Fox fired off another burst of flame at his luxray, singeing what remained of its fur and skin. Lightning jumped around its body for a brief moment, and it leapt forward and slammed itself into Fox. Electricity coursed through Fox's small body, briefly paralyzing him. The electric tackle knocked him back against Rebecca, who quickly turned around. She pointed her pistol straight at the luxray's head and fired off two shots. The pokémon's head exploded, and its decapitated body dropped to the floor.

A loud snarl made her turn back around. The last luxray bounded back around the corner and bared its teeth. "_Lux…_" Rebecca leveled her weapon calmly and fired. To her surprise, the luxray _ducked_ under the bullet by dropping to the floor. A small bolt of lightning flew from the tip of its tail and into her chest, sending her stumbling back over Fox and onto her back. Fox tried to rise and defend her but his body refused to respond. Rachel felt her muscles twitching. Like Fox, she could barely move.

Rebecca heard a snarl, and then a loud thunderous gun shot. The snarl changed into a yelp, and was followed by a soft, crunching sound. Rebecca struggled for what seemed like hours, until finally she was in a sitting position, leaning heavily on the wall. She saw Billy standing over her, offering his hand. "Need some help?" he said.

Rebecca grunted and pulled herself up the wall, using a nearby door handle to hoist herself up. She tried to find something to focus on to help her keep her balance. The door had **CONDUCTER'S OFFICE** written across it, so she chose that. Eventually, her legs were able to hold her weight again.

Rebecca stared Billy in the eye and shoved her M9 in his face. Again, he was unfazed. "Are all S.T.A.R.S. as stupid as you?" he asked.

"You…are a wanted criminal." Rebecca said. "You murdered your captors…men with families. And now, I'm taking you away."

Billy laughed. "Where to? In case you didn't notice, those things came from _outside_. From the forest. Just like your late friend here told you."

"Shut up," Rebecca grunted. "Hands behind your head. Now."

"Oh, another thing. You're welcome. For saving your fucking life." Billy stepped aside to show her the dead luxray. A gaping hole had been blown in its side, and the left side of its face was caved in. Billy held up his magnum. ".357. And those people you said I killed?" He pointed to the dead pokémon. "They did it. Not me."

Billy reached down towards Edward's body. Fox puffed some burning sparks at him, making him yank his hand back. Rebecca's weapon never stopped following him. "Stay away from him," she growled.

Billy shrugged, then suddenly grabbed her pistol and shoved it against the wall. Before Rebecca could react he slapped her in the face and pushed her to the ground. Fox jumped at him, but he bent down and tossed him down the hallway. By the time Rebecca was back on her feet, weapon leveled, Edward's M4 was pointed straight at her face.

Billy suddenly pointed his weapon at the floor. "Let's talk for a bit. Like reasonable adults."

Rebecca started to move forward, but the M4 came back up. "There's nothing to say. Now drop the weapon!"

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Billy dropped his weapon again. "You have had at least three chances to do so, and two damn good reasons, too." Billy turned and walked back down the hallway, towards the back of the train. "If you want to shoot me, go ahead. Otherwise, I'm looking for a way out of this mess."

Fox started after him, but Rebecca held him back. "Those people will get him if we don't," she told him. Rebecca kneeled in front of Edward and closed his eyes, doing her best not to look into them. She took all the ammunition from his vest and added it to her own. When she got Billy's weapon from him, she would need rounds for it. Rebecca got back up and both her and Fox went after Billy.

Billy was standing inside the connection tube, pressed up next to the door. Through the glass Rebecca could see all the "dead" people were up and moving, walking awkwardly around the train car. "I don't understand," Rebecca said. As she watched, one woman walked straight into a wall and just stopped, staring at it. Two men stood in front of each other, but apparently didn't notice, because they kept bumping off of the other. "I thought they were dead."

"So did I," Billy replied. "They act like zombies or something."

"Zombies?" If the situation weren't so dire, Rebecca would have laughed. "How old are you? Zombies aren't real, you know. Like the Tooth Fairy."

"Dead people that suddenly get back up and maul you. Sounds like zombies to me." Billy peeked around the door through the window. "I count eight. So what we'll do is –"

"_We _will do nothing. _You_ will give the rifle and let me handle this." Rebecca brought her pistol up again. "Will you cooperate?"

"Uh, no." Billy looked annoyed now. "Listen…what did you say your name was?"

"That's none of your – "

"Okay, dollface, listen. Have you ever used an M4 assault rifle before?"

"Get down on –"

"Yeah, didn't think so. Well I have. So I'm keeping it, because I'm low on ammunition for my magnum." Billy stood up and faced the door, not looking at Rebecca. "I'm not giving this to you until I get out of here. And you're going to help me."

Rebecca gritted her teeth. "Like hell I am."

"I do believe it would be in your best interest," said Billy. "Especially after I do this."

He aimed the weapon through the window and fired. The closest zombie's head exploded and it dropped to the floor. The rest turned around and moaned as Billy kicked down the door and stepped into the car, shooting as he went. Two more zombies collapsed with missing heads. Rebecca followed him inside, aiming for the legs of the remaining zombies, taking down three. Billy stomped their heads in as he moved forward. Soon they were both at the other side of the car. Rebecca knelt and reloaded her pistol as Fox came trotting up beside her.

Billy checked his rifle's magazine. "I have nine rounds left," he said. He looked behind him at Rebecca. "Did your friend have any magazines on him?"

Rebecca didn't look up. "No. I didn't see any."

"Balls," Billy muttered. He moved into the next connection tube and turned to look at her. "Okay, now we'll – "

A zombie burst through the window and fell down on top of Billy. But before it could bite him, Billy rolled forward and back onto his feet, making the zombie let go. Fox covered the zombie in flames and burned it to a crisp. Rebecca aimed through the window at the zombies in the next car and fired two shots, killing another zombie. The remaining zombies shuffled towards them, but they were moving slowly, making them easy targets for Rebecca and Billy.

Once again, Rebecca found herself inside the same connection tube with Fox. This time, though, Billy was with them. Billy tried the door in front of them. When it didn't open, he kicked it. But the door remained shut. "Locked," he said. Billy cocked his leg back to kick it again, but Rebecca held him back.

"Let's try this," she said. Rebecca brought out the key she took from the dead train employee and tried it on the door. The lock clicked and unlocked. She opened the door and smirked at Billy as she stepped through.

To their left were a desk and a staircase. To their right was another door, but this one didn't have a handle or knob. Rebecca stood in front of it, frowning. "It looks like an automatic door," she said. She stepped up to it, but the door refused to open.

"Something must have happened to the power," Billy said. He leaned back against the wall, next to the desk. There were papers on the desk, so he picked them up and started flipping through them. Something caught his eye, and he read it out loud. "'Notice to Supervisors: When closing the dining car, supervisors are asked to switch off the automatic doors after ensuring all staff have vacated the car. The main automatic doors power switch is located on the roof of the fifth car. Inspections will take place when the train is garaged. After inspections are complete, use the ladder at the rear of the second floor of the dining car.'" He handed Rebecca the papers. "See? The universe provides." Rebecca took the papers and started sifting through them. Fox yawned and sat on the floor, looking at her expectantly.

"'PikaPower Train Company?'" she read. "What kind of name is that?"

"A dumb one, that's what," Billy said. He looked up the stairs. "So I guess the ladder from the document is up there then."

"Seems like it," Rebecca said. "But do we really need to get into the kitchen? I mean, the train is stopped, so why don't we just get off?"

The floor shuddered underneath their feet. There was a loud screeching noise, followed by a dull rumble. Fox whined a little and sniffed at the ground. Billy glared at Rebecca. "You just had to say something, didn't you?" Rebecca went back into the dining car and looked out one of the windows. Sure enough, the train was moving. _But who started it?_ she thought. Billy ran up behind her, followed by Fox.

"You did something," Rebecca said to Billy.

"Me?"

"Yes, you! We're the only two people on this train, and I didn't start it. So that leaves you."

Billy held his hands up. "Whoa, easy there, cop. What makes you think we're the only ones here?" He looked around the car. "Chances are if we, two living breathing people, are able to function in here, other people are, too." Rebecca's mind flashed back to the papers she found in the typewriter room. The files talked about some sort of investigation team. Maybe Billy was right.

That didn't mean she was going to trust him, though. She smiled at Billy sweetly. "Okay, how about this. You stay here with Fox and try to get that door open. I'll go up to the front of the train and see what's going on."

Billy nodded, and knelt in front of Fox. "Come on, buddy, let's go check out the door." Billy went back towards the kitchen, with Fox close behind him. Rebecca watched them go. If Billy tried to do anything else with this train, Fox would stop him. And since the train was moving, he couldn't very well leave. Rebecca went to the opposite door and stepped through it, eventually reaching her destination.

Edward was still slumped up against the wall. It hurt Rebecca to look at him. If only she had gone with him…but there wasn't time to dwell on that. She went to the door leading to the front of the train and pulled at the handle, only to find it locked. "Shit," she muttered. Rebecca looked around for a moment, and saw a funny looking box hanging on the wall next to the door.

Closer inspection revealed it to be a card reader, like the kind you would find on hotel room doors. Apparently, Rebecca would need a card key to get past this door. She searched the train employee's body again, but found nothing. She tried the door to the conductor's office, but that was locked too. And there were no windows to break. Groaning in frustration, she went back to Billy and Fox.

Billy was standing against the wall in front of the stairs. Fox was sitting on top of the desk next to him, wagging his six tails as Billy scratched his head. Rebecca saw the door was still closed. "Did you turn the power back on?"

"Nope," Billy said. "I talked it over with your little friend here. We both decided, due to the messed up things on this train, that we would wait for you." Fox nodded and barked.

"Uh huh." Rebecca crossed her arms. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't trust you. I still think you did something to this train."

Billy stood up straight and looked at her. "And why is that?"

"You had to have found this train before my partner and I did," said Rebecca. "My unit found the MP van, and it wasn't far from the train. Whatever happened to those soldiers in the van, you took one of their weapons and ran. After a while, you found the train. So you got on here, figuring the train had to go somewhere, and got it running again."

Billy grinned. "Honestly, that's some nice deducting. Guess you have a brain after all." He was holding his rifle at his side, with the magnum in a holster clipped onto his belt. "But there's a hole in your theory."

Rebecca's pistol hand twitched. "What is it?"

"I did take one of my guards' weapons. And I did find the train. And I did plan on trying to get it started, because train tracks always go somewhere with people." Bill leaned back against the wall. "But the door to the train engine was locked. I was going to go back outside and try to bust through one of the windshields when I heard gunshots. So I ducked out through an open window and then you showed up.

"Also, when the train started, I was right next to you. True, some trains take a while to get moving again, but the whole time they make all sorts of noise. All of which you would have heard while on the train." Billy grinned at her again and went back to petting Fox. "Long story short: I didn't mess with the train."

"Fine. I'll accept that." Rebecca pulled a pair of handcuffs from her waist and held them up. "Now, be nice and put these on. You're still under arrest."

Billy's grin disappeared. "Are you serious?" When Rebecca didn't move his eyes narrowed in anger. "Listen, cop. In case you haven't noticed, we just shot almost twenty different zombies on this train. Some freaky looking pokémon that were smart enough to figure out how guns work just tried to kill you, and now the train just started up on its own and is taking us God knows where. Common sense should tell you how much of a fan-fucking-tastic idea it would be for us to team up."

"No."

"Unbelievable…" Billy glanced at Fox. "Is she always like this?"

Rebecca was glaring at him. "I can take care of myself just fine. And if I can't, I already have a partner. So, put these on, now."

Billy's unspoken answer was obvious. Rebecca brought up her gun. "I was told if you didn't cooperate to shoot you."

"Okay. Go ahead." Billy walked forward and pressed himself up against the barrel. He stuck the M4 in Rebecca's face. "There. For a third time, I am now threatening your life."

Rebecca looked over his shoulder. "Fox, flamethrower."

A small puff of fire hit Billy's shirt, setting it aflame. Billy jumped as he felt the heat, letting Rebecca pistol whip him across the face. Billy was knocked to the floor. Rebecca quickly jumped on top of him and pulled his arms behind his back, handcuffing them together. She patted the fire out and pulled him up to a sitting position against the staircase. Then she smiled at him. "Comfy?"

Billy smiled back. "Yes ma'am, thank you. Now where's the happy ending?" Disgusted, Rebecca slapped him again and stood up.

"Fox, watch him. I'll be right back." Fox jumped off the desk and stood in front of Billy. Rebecca took his magnum and put it on the desk. She also took the M4 and holstered her pistol. Satisfied that Billy wasn't a threat anymore, she went up the stairs to the second floor of the car.

The first thing Rebecca noticed was that the far corner of the room was on fire. The second thing she noticed was that it wasn't the floor burning. Three bodies lay against each other in the corner, and all of them were burning brightly. In fact, most of the light in the room came from the flames. Tables and serving carts were strewn everywhere, and broken glass littered the floor. She also saw a door to her right in the corner and a ladder tucked in a cubby far across the room. _Bingo._ But as she made her way towards the ladder, something caught her eye.

Next to the wall, to her right, was a round table. Still neatly set. It had a white table cloth and a small vase of flowers on it. Two chairs were set on opposite ends of the table. And in one of those chairs sat an old man, staring at the flowers.

Rebecca had learned by now that the people on this train were crazy, so she kept her rifle aimed at his head as she spoke to him. "Sir! Are you alright?"

The man didn't respond, or even give any sign that he had heard her. Rebecca cautiously moved forward, keeping the M4 up and ready. Her finger slowly wrapped around the trigger as she made her way towards the man. She called out again, and again the man didn't move. Soon she was standing right next to him. The old man had stared straight ahead the whole time, never blinking. Rebecca stepped closer to him. Against her better judgment, she lightly poked him in them head. "Hello?"

The man's head rolled off of his shoulders and hit the floor. Rebecca jumped back and pointed her rifle at it. She watched in amazement as the head turned blue and melted into a puddle. The puddle then formed into two different, cylindrical shapes. Spikes sprung out of both ends of the cylinders, two on one end, and one on the other. Rebecca could see what looked like eyes forming, and five stubby legs popped out of each side of the cylinders. The cylinders turned lumpy and hard, and a shocked Rebecca was staring at two of the strangest wurmple she had ever seen.

The wurmple both looked up at her and cooed softly. They looked like regular wurmple, only blue. Rebecca backed away, keeping her rifle trained on them. "I hate bugs," she muttered. She soon found a whole new reason to hate them. One of the wurmple reared up on its back three legs, and Rebecca had to force herself from vomiting.

The wurmple did not have a normal wurmple mouth. A narrow slit went down the front of its face and onto its chest, widening into a larger slit. The larger slit looked almost like a sideways mouth. The mouth opened, revealing several rows of serrated suckers, as well as a long, sharp, barbed needle. The two wurmple ran towards Rebecca faster than she expected, and were almost halfway up her legs before she could react. Rebecca swatted them off of her and quickly stomped on them. They popped like water balloons, and blue-green liquid was splattered all over the floor, closely followed by the contents of Rebecca's stomach.

A loud bang made her look up. The old man's headless body had risen from his chair, knocking it over. Blue liquid sprouted from his neck, growing and shaping into another head. The old man grinned at her. His arms and legs elongated into flailing tentacles. He advanced towards her, making squishing, sucking sounds with each step.

Rebecca aimed and fired. The round hit the wurmple man's left shoulder, blowing a large hole in it and leaving his left arm dangling by a thread. The man swung his other arm at her, but she jumped back and fired again, completely snapping off his other arm. A sharp click followed the gun shot. The magazine had run out. Rebecca backed away from the wurmple man, tossing the spent clip to the ground and fumbling with her vest for another one. She had just pulled a magazine out before the wurmple man's body split down the middle, dissolving into a swarm of wurmple.

Lots and lots of wurmple.

They all swarmed over each other trying to reach her. Rebecca dropped both her weapon and the magazine and drew her pistol, but before she could fire off a shot, the wurmple all swarmed over her legs. She pointed the pistol down at them, but one of the wurmple just jumped on her arm and crawled toward her face. Rebecca could feel them others sucking at her clothes and armor, trying to break through them to the warm flesh underneath.

Fire, hot angry fire, formed a ring around her feet. The wurmple all jumped off as the ones below her knees were consumed by the flames. Fox barked loudly and continued blowing hot flames on them, driving them back to the other side of the car. Rebecca dropped to her knees as Fox bounded over and pawed her, trying to get her to move. She looked up and watched as the remaining wurmple formed themselves back into the old man, complete with new arms. He sneered at her and charged forward, straight through Fox's retaliating fire. Another loud bang went off above her, and the wurmple man's head exploded. When he kept coming forward, Billy raised his magnum again and blew off one of his legs. The wurmple man melted back into the swarm of wurmple, and retreated towards the back of the car.

All but one. The last wurmple suddenly turned around and launched itself through the air, straight at Billy's face. Billy quickly ducked aside and it slammed into the wall behind him. Stunned, it offered no resistance as Billy pulled it off the wall by its head and held it out at arm's length. Rebecca stayed on the floor, crying softly.

The wurmple open its mouth and thrust the needle out at Billy. "Fascinating," he muttered. "Gross and incredibly creepy. But fascinating."

Rebecca hugged Fox close to her, trying to compose herself. Billy looked around for more wurmple, but they were all gone. He turned back to his prize, and held up his gun, flipping the handle close to the mutated bug. The wurmple wrapped the lower half of its body around the gun handle and pulled it into its mouth. Suckers covered the grip, while the needle repeatedly bounced harmlessly off it.

"So it uses those suckers to hold its prey." Billy said to himself. "The needle is probably some sort of tongue, and used to pierce the victim's skin and draw out blood." He turned to look at Rebecca, who was just now getting up. "But wurmple aren't bloodsuckers. They eat leaves. This thing is messed up." Seeing enough, Billy flung the pokémon into the burning bodies and went to check on Rebecca.

"So how did you guess all that?" she asked him.

"I originally joined the Marines to pay for college. I was a biology major." Billy pulled Rebecca up to her feet. She was covered in a sticky blue film from the shoulders down. "You okay?" he asked.

Rebecca nodded. She looked over where the man had been sitting. "Did you see that man?"

"Yeah." Billy walked over to the fallen chair and knelt next to it. Like Rebecca, it had blue slime all over it. "I don't have a theory for that. Maybe camouflage?"

Rebecca clearly remembered the sneering face. "He seemed almost…sadistic."

"I saw that, too." Billy stood and faced her. "I don't care what's in the woods. I vote we get the hell off this train."

Rebecca pointed at the ladder. "That's the way to the top of the cars."

Billy stepped past her and picked up the M4. Along with the magazine full of ammunition. "I knew you were lying, by the way." Rebecca looked at him stoically as he turned to face her. "Still want to go alone?"

"How did you get out of the handcuffs?" she said.

"Same way I got out of the ones the MPs put on me." Billy tossed the cuffs at her feet. The locks were broken. "And I took the liberty of breaking them so you wouldn't be stupid anymore."

Rebecca looked down at them and back at him. "Fine. I'll work with you. But after we're done…"

"I'll go quietly," Billy said. "Scout's honor."

He reached down behind him. "Oh, almost forgot." He pulled a radio out from behind his back and showed it to her. "In case we have to split up, let's keep in contact with these."

"Where'd you get a radio?"

"From the cop." Billy's expression softened a little. "I picked it up while I was grabbing the M4. You can have both of them back when we're done."

Rebecca's face was emotionless for a while. Finally, she reached into her vest and pulled out two rifle magazines, which she handed to Billy. "I have three more if you need them," she told him. Billy nodded and stuck them both in his rear pockets.

"Rebecca, Enrico."

Rebecca and Billy's radios both said the same thing. Billy pointed at her. "I think it's for you."

Rebecca pulled her radio from her belt. "Enrico, Rebecca. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. I have information on the suspect that you need to here. Over."

"Enrico, Rebecca. I'm listening. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. As you already know, Coehn was dishonorably discharged from the United States Marine Corp and sentenced to execution. But, he was convicted of murdering twenty-three civilians and his commanding officer. That is all. Over and out."

Rebecca stared at her radio in shock. When she turned to look at Billy, Billy just shrugged. "Remember, you promised."


	5. More Than One Monster

Halfway up the ladder, Rebecca reached up and twisted the latch to unlock the door. She flung it open and quickly ducked her head down as water fell onto her exposed face. It was raining. A loud laugh made her look down at Billy. Grinning, he pointed up the ladder as he gripped the rungs below her. "Ladies first," he said.

Resisting the urge to fall on him, she continued up the ladder into the pouring rain. She looked around, squinting her eyes against the falling water. She called back down the ladder. "This isn't going to work!"

"Sure it is!" was the only response she got. After making sure Fox's pokéball and her pistol were secured tightly on her belt, she hoisted herself up out of the car and grabbed the first handhold she could find. Rain assaulted her from what seemed like every angle. Between that and the wind whipping across the top of the moving carriage, it was a very cold and wet experience. A short while later, Billy graced her with his soggy presence.

He sprayed water from his mouth. "Wet."

Rebecca glared at him through the hair plastered to her forehead. "Where to now, smart guy?"

Billy pointed behind him, towards the front of the train. "That way."

Rebecca took one look at the fifty yards of wet slick metal and shook her head. "That's not happening."

Billy looked behind him for a moment. He turned back to face Rebecca and shrugged. "It's doable. Just do what I do."

With Edward's M-4 slung across his back, Billy lay down on his chest and spread his arms, getting the best grip he could on the slick surface of the carriage. Slowly and carefully, he slid himself across the car. After about halfway across, he propped himself up on his elbows and turned to look back at her. "See? Easy!" he called.

Once again checking her weapon and pokémon, Rebecca copied Billy, sliding herself after him. Water soaked through her uniform, and the wind blew across her back, chilling her to the bone. Billy continued forward, eventually stopping at the end of the car. Rebecca saw him rise up into a kneeling position and stare at something sparking. But what really caught her attention was the giant hole in the roof of the car. Jagged pieces of steel hung down through the punctured ceiling.

Rebecca also brought herself up on her knees and frantically tapped Billy's shoulder. Without turning around, Billy yelled to be heard over the wind. "I saw it. Don't worry about it right now."

"Don't worry about it?" Rebecca yelled back. "Do you know anything that could do that? It looks like someone took a can opener to it!""

"Well, right now I'm trying to figure out how to turn the power back on without frying my ass," Billy said, "so if you'd let me work, we can get out of the rain quicker."

Rebecca sidled up next to him and stared down at the sparking object. It was a simple set up. There were five cables running across the bottom of an access panel. But the panel cover was missing, and one of the cables had been unplugged. Lightning occasionally jumped between the plugs, and Rebecca could hear a faint humming. The whole panel was covered in an all-too familiar blue slime.

Rebecca gestured at the cables. "If you just grab it by the cables themselves, you shouldn't get shocked."

Billy held up his hands. "My fingers are too thick to slip underneath the cable." Indeed, being in the military must have toughened him up considerably. He had some very large, muscular hands.

Rebecca looked at the cable, then down at her own hands. "I think I can do it. Move over."

Billy obliged, nearly slipping off the train as he did so. Rebecca sidled herself into position, taking a moment to inspect the crackling cable. She stared at it for a long moment, long enough to make Billy's teeth chatter and prompting a, "Hurry up!" from him. Finally, she carefully slipped her long skinny fingers around the cable's rubber insulation. She lifted the pieces out and brought them together. Locks on the cable clicked together, and the sparks disappeared.

Rebecca turned to grin at Billy. "See? No problem."

"Right," Billy said. "How about we get back to the – "

The blue slime suddenly transformed into a mutated wurmple, which immediately launched itself at Rebecca. It latched onto her chest, needle-tongue slashing at her body armor. Despite not getting a decent hold, the wurmple's momentum pushed Rebecca back, knocking her into the hole behind her.

The drop was a good ten feet. Rebecca landed on her back, but fortunately her body armor took the brunt of the impact. Still, she lay there for a moment, stunned. The wurmple took advantage of this and moved straight for her neck.

"Rebecca!"

Billy's yell brought her back, just in time to see the wurmple arched over her face. She quickly grabbed it and crushed its fragile body in her fist, flinging the remains against a nearby wall. Rain fell straight onto her exposed face. Looking up, she could see the hole, but everything behind it was a solid shade of black. "Rebecca, you okay?"

Rebecca waved at the unseen Billy. She sat up and winced, holding her head. "Yeah. Peachy."

She started taking in her surroundings. There was a stove along the far wall, with cabinets taking up most of the space. Must be a kitchen. Within moments she had found the door. She walked over to it and confidently tried the handle, but it wouldn't turn. The door was locked.

She groaned. "Billy, you still up there?"

"Yo."

"This door's locked, too. I can't get out."

She heard him laugh. "Didn't they teach you how to kick in doors?"

Rebecca sized the door up for a moment. It was made of oak, and looked pretty solid. "I don't think I can knock it down. You'll have to come get me."

"Negative, dollface," Billy replied. "Look around, see if you can find something to open it with." He was quiet for a moment. "If I'm right, that door leads to the room we just left. I'll make my way back down and meet you on the other side."

Rebecca nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. A sliding sound came through the ceiling as Billy propelled himself across the roof of the speeding train. Rebecca began opening cabinets and rifling through the contents. At first, all she found was dishes and cookware, but inside one drawer she found a key. On the key was a tab with **KITCHEN** written across it. She went back to the door and stuck the key into the keyhole above the handle.

The key went about a third of the way in before it just stopped. Rebecca looked down at it, confused. Was something in the keyhole? She bent down to look, but she could not see far enough inside it to be sure. "Well, damn," she muttered.

She jumped with a start as something began banging on the other side of the door. "Rebecca!"

"Billy, is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" She could barely hear him through the thick door. "You find anything?"

"I found a key," said Rebecca, "but something's jammed in the keyhole!"

"You're kidding."

Rebecca just stared at the door. "Sarcastic silences don't suit you, cop," Billy said. "Have you tried shooting the lock out?"

Rebecca looked at her M9. "I was trying to conserve ammo."

"One shot's all you need!"

"Okay, fine! Stand back." A 9mm round wasn't going to punch through that lock. But she had a plan for that. She tossed Fox's pokéball on the floor, calling him back out. "Fox, I need you to heat up this lock."

Fox inhaled deep.

"No!" Rebecca yelled. "Small fire." She didn't need him to start anymore fires, especially since they still couldn't get off the train. Fox nodded and puffed small but hot flames at the metal lock. When the lock started glowing red, Rebecca took a couple steps back, aimed, and fired.

There was a muffled pinging sound. The round had hit the lock and embedded itself in the soft metal, and did not punch through. She had, however, completely obliterated the keyhole. "It didn't work!" she yelled.

"I gathered." Billy said.

"Could the magnum do it?"

"I only have two shots left for it." Billy replied. Rebecca groaned. "Tell you what. Stay put. I'll go downstairs and try to find something to get you out."

Rebecca didn't like that idea. She did not trust Billy at all. What if he left her here? But she couldn't think of any other ideas. "We got the power on, right? So you can check what's behind that automatic door."

"I was just thinking that, actually," Billy said. "Hey, what frequency is your radio on?"

Rebecca took a minute to check. "Six. Why?"

"Because I was going to use my radio to keep in touch with you," he said, "but I don't want your friends hearing me. Change the frequency."

"Not happening," Rebecca said. "If I change frequency then the other S.T.A.R.S. can't get a hold of me."

"It's only until I get you out." Billy sounded annoyed. She didn't care. Rebecca was in charge here. Not him. "You can just radio them afterward asking for an update."

"No."

"Fine! Jesus…" Fox began sniffing under the door, trying to find Billy. "I'll stay on this frequency, then. Be right back."

Rebecca listened to the sounds of his footsteps as Billy walked away, then down the stairs. The walls were really thin on this train. She made a mental note of it, then fired up her radio. "Bravo Team, Rebecca."

"Rebecca, Enrico."

"Enrico, Rebecca. I found Coehn. However, we are currently unable to make the rendezvous. Over."

"Rebecca, Forrest. Good work. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Is Coehn detained? Over."

"Enrico, Rebecca. Negative. The train started up by itself and we are working together to try and stop it so we can exit safely. Over." She winced slightly. _They're not going to like that…_

"Rebecca, Richard. What the hell, rookie. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Coehn is not to be trusted. He will kill you the first chance he gets. You will detain him and –"

"Enrico, Edward and Kevin are dead."

Silence greeted this remark. "Rebecca, Kenneth. Say again. Over."

Rebecca shut her eyes as they began watering. Now that the adrenaline was fading, she was having trouble staying composed. "Bravo Team, Rebecca. Coehn is not our biggest problem. There are weird pokémon in the woods, that's what's been killing people all this time. I saw them myself. They killed Edward, and before he died Edward said Kevin was dead. Over."

Fox was looking around the kitchen, poking his head into the open cabinets. Rebecca wiped her eyes dry as the radio crackled again. "Rebecca, Enrico. The new mission still stands. Get off that train, and make your way to the crash site. Over."

"Enrico, Rebecca. What about Coehn? Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Inform him it may be in his best interests to come with us. Work out a deal of some sort, but watch him. Over and out."

* * *

Billy stared at the radio in his hand. He was starting to have a serious problem with these S.T.A.R.S. guys. Billy was far from stupid. He was slated for execution. They obviously knew that, since they had found the MP van. Once they had him they would turn him over to the Marines. Going with the cops meant he was guaranteed to die. Billy was hoping to avoid that tonight.

With a sigh he pocketed the radio and raised his M4. He was standing in front of the automatic door, beyond which was unknown territory and probably something big and nasty. Billy believed in preparation. He took a step forward, and the door whooshed open.

Beyond the door was a large room filled with steel cabinets and sinks. A fridge sat to his right, with a stove next to it. Another kitchen. He noticed a small hallway to his right and quickly swung around it, keeping the rifle's barrel pointed in front of him as he did so. But there was nothing there. It was just a corridor leading to a lone cabinet embedded into the wall.

Something about it intrigued him. He shouldered his weapon and walked down the corridor. When he came to the cabinet he noticed a red button next to it. He wanted to push it, but common sense told him not to. Instead, he opened the cabinet.

It was empty. Somewhat. There was an open box inside of it, open end facing him. The box had some cables running through it. Billy cautiously stuck his head inside to inspect further and saw they lead upward. Under the box was a fancy-looking pulley system.

"A dumbwaiter," he muttered. But where did it go?

Small thuds sounded above him. He glanced up but already knew what it was. Footsteps. In the room above him. And the only living person Billy knew was up there was Rebecca.

He wasn't going to call her to make sure. The moment Rebecca's buddies knew he had the dead cop's radio, they'd all come after them. Billy would be captured, and that was a no-go. But how could he make sure this dumbwaiter lead to Rebecca?

He looked over at the button, a smile forming on his face.

* * *

Rebecca jumped at the loud buzz. A soft voice echoed around her. "Delivery."

Fox was looking at the wall across from the door. On it was a cabinet Rebecca had overlooked. Apparently, the buzz came from over there. Cautiously she advanced, pistol aimed at the cabinet. She got to one side of it, and with a nod at Fox, she opened it. Fox immediately jumped inside the cabinet, barking. Rebecca glanced inside and blinked in surprise.

There was a blue sleeveless shirt inside. It was soaking wet, and looked a lot like the one Billy was wearing when she first found him. He must have found this elevator thing.

Maybe she could send him something helpful. She unbuckled one of the pouches on her vest and took out another M4 magazine. She tossed it on top of the shirt and pulled Fox out. To her surprise, he jumped right back in. "What are you doing?"

"_Vulpix._" Fox sniffed the shirt and wagged his tails.

This night was full of surprises. She had never known Fox to warm up to someone that quickly. At least, that's what she thought he wanted. To go with Billy. "No. Come out."

Fox whined and shook his head. Rebecca tried to pull him out again, but he braced himself against the wall, resisting her grip.

Rebecca stopped, thinking. Fox could handle himself in a fight, as he had proved already. There wasn't a lot Billy could do to him that Fox couldn't see coming. Plus, if he tried anything funny, Fox could stop him. With a nod and a smile, she closed the cabinet. She spied a red button above it, and mashed it.

* * *

The buzzer went off, and the cabinet opened. Billy almost shot Fox as he came springing out of the dumbwaiter. Billy pulled his shirt back on and pocketed the magazine, glaring at Fox. "Trying to give me a heart attack?"

Fox wolfed softly and nuzzled against his ankle. "Whatever. Just stay close."

Billy went back towards the automatic door. Slowly and carefully he walked along the room's walls, taking in every detail of the room. He found a couple empty bottles but went past them, not deeming them useful. Behind the refrigerator was yet another door, leading to yet another connection tube, that was connected to yet another car. _Mr. Zombie, party of three, now boarding…._

Fortunately, this door was unlocked. So was the one behind it. A casual glance around this car told him that this was the cargo carriage. Suitcases and bags were stacked all around him. There was bound to be something useful in here. He set the M4 against the wall and began taking down bags.

Five minutes later, he kicked the last suitcase across the room, scattering clothes everywhere. Nothing. But there was a bright side to the search. He found the door out of this car lead straight outside, indicating he was in the final car. He opened the door and stepped out into the rain. There was a small area surrounded by a railing. Set against the wall was another ladder leading up to the car roof, but Billy ignored it. He had no desire to do that again.

Success. A panel was set next to the ladder. Etched across it in bold red letters was the word **BRAKES. **Fox stayed in the cargo room out of the rain as Billy pried the panel off. He gleefully threw it off the train and began working on the brake controls.

Or tried to. The controls were electronic, not manual like he thought. And he needed a code.

"Who the hell makes trains this complicated?" Billy looked down at Fox. Fox was licking one of his tails. "Seriously. Fuck this train."

Fox wagged his tails at him. Billy sighed. "Alright. Let's go back up front."

The trip up front was, thankfully, uneventful. Billy inspected the card lock, doing his best to ignore the thankfully-still-dead cop. Billy went back around to the door leading to the conductor's office. "I bet she didn't try this door," he muttered disdainfully as he twisted the knob. This door was locked too.

Fox whined and scratched at the door. "Got you covered, pup." Billy took two steps back and kicked at the door. The lock didn't give way, but he did smash a hole through the middle. He gazed around through the hole, but there were no people inside, alive, dead, or undead. Billy stuck his arm through and fumbled with the lock, opening the door.

It was indeed an office. There was a desk, with cabinets hanging above it. A typewriter sat on the desk, which struck Billy as odd. "Old fogey probably hated computers." Billy rifled through the desk while Fox looked around, but all he found was a travel log and some red plants. He left the travel log, but took the plants. _Gonna need a blunt after all this…_

Fox barked. Billy saw him jumping up and down in front of the wall, staring at the ceiling. He looked up and saw what looked like a trap door, with a ladder set across the ceiling. He pulled the desk out and stood on top of it. Billy pulled the ladder down and set it under the trapdoor. He opened it, but stopped and looked down at Fox.

"How are you getting up?"

Fox eyed the hole. He jumped on the desk, then on Billy's knee, and finally up through the hole. Smirking, Billy followed him.

Up here was a wide, wide room, taking up the entire top half of the train car. There was nothing on the walls, except windows. Billy could hear the rain pelting the metal roof. It was noisy, and annoying. At the end of the room he found a door. "Where could that go?" Whistling for Fox, Billy walked towards it.

A loud thud reverberated through the ceiling. The car shook violently. Billy didn't stop to question what was happening, he just broke into a run. "Let's go, pup!"

There was an earsplitting squeal behind him. Billy turned and dropped into a crouch, aiming his rifle at the hole being ripped into the roof behind him. Something sharp, thick, and black thrust itself through the roof and wrenched pieces of it away, until a large hole nearly taking up the back half of the room was opened. The black thing disappeared, but this proved to be bad, because something much, much larger jumped through the hole and turned to face him.

It was a drapion. But it wasn't like any drapion Billy had ever seen. This one was at least twice as big as normal, and instead of the normal dull purple shell it was sporting a sleek and shiny black one. It also had a tail, like the one it must have had when it was just a skorupi. The tail whipped around in a frenzy, gouging the walls with its long and probably poisonous stinger. The pinsers, the sharp black thing Billy had seen, open and snapped shut with equal frenzy. The drapion roared and raced towards Billy, claws reaching for him.

Billy fired. Bullets ricocheted off the drapion's thick armor in every direction, barely missing a cowering Fox. It only took a couple shots for Billy to realize he needed to move. He turned tail and ran straight for the door. But the drapion was much faster. It caught up and bowled him over before reaching down with its claws.

But luck was with Billy. The drapion was moving too fast, and literally ran right over him. Billy's face was inches from its underbelly. He quickly drew his magnum and fired. The round ripped straight through the drapion's belly. It bounced off the underside of the thick top exoskeleton and back into the floor, doing heavy damage to the drapion's insides. Billy propelled himself out from under the pokémon, sliding across the floor towards Fox. He picked him up and sprinted for the trapdoor.

A zinging sound was the only warning he got. Combat instincts took over, and he dove to the ground as glowing purple stingers flew over him and into the far wall. He rolled, dropped Fox, aimed for the drapion's head, and fired. But he missed, and his last magnum round sailed uselessly through the metal roof.

"Fuck!" he yelled. He tossed the magnum away and slid himself to the trapdoor, narrowly avoiding the drapion's tail. He dropped through headfirst and fell on his back, wincing as he hit the floor.

The drapion's claw snaked down, passing over his face only inches away. Billy rolled under the desk as the drapion grabbed the trapdoor lip and ripped away more train. The rest of the floor caved in, toppling down across the desk. Billy stayed under it, listening as the drapion tore the office apart looking for him. The drapion was almost too big to fit in the office. Its whipping tail got caught in the door frame and took down the entire wall.

_Fuck this. Screw the cop._ Never mind that the train was still moving. Billy was getting off. He spied a chance to escape and ran for it.

Somehow, over the crunching of wood and the roaring drapion, Billy heard a soft beep. It was coming from the locked door, the one with the card lock. As he watched, the door swung open, and two men stepped through. They instantly spied the drapion and one of them leveled…_A grenade launcher?_

The grenade slammed into the drapion's face, exploding on contact. Headless, the pokémon toppled backwards through the destroyed wall and over the side of the train.

Billy stood up and checked himself. Somehow, through all that, he had held on to the M4. He could even see his discarded magnum. It was on the floor in front of him. Rain poured through the destroyed roof on top of him and the two men. They were both looking at him, decked out in body armor and gas masks. Billy nodded at them. "S.T.A.R.S.?"

The men did not speak. On the front of their chest plates was a symbol of some sort. It was a perfect circle, divided into white and red triangles. _Okay. Not S.T.A.R.S._

One of the men moved, drawing a pistol. Billy was already moving, scrambling over the ramp quicker than a meowth. The shot passed him on his left. Billy ran for the door yet again, but he knew he couldn't out run another bullet.

Suddenly he heard screaming. Billy turned around to see Fox covering one man in flames. The other was frantically rolling on the ground, trying to put out the fire working its way up his leg. As Billy watched, the rolling man rolled right off the train, while the other man began thrashing about on the ground. Billy aimed at him and fired off two shots, and he stopped moving. Fox trotted over and sniffed him, then sat down and wagged his tails.

"Good vulpix." Billy was shaking. He looked down at Fox. With Fox still around, Billy would have to help Rebecca out after all. Any escape plans would have to be put on hold for the time being. _Damn it all_.

"Here, boy." Billy opened the door and stepped through, closely followed by Fox. The hallway immediately branched left, then right. Billy followed it, then stopped. "Ah, what now?"

The entire hallway was filled with blue, transparent balls. And inside each of those balls, much to Billy's and even Fox's dismay, was a blue wurmple. And they were moving slightly, quivering in their sleep.

Billy caught Fox's attention and held a finger to his lips. To his surprise, Fox nodded. Together, they began backing away slowly. Billy saw another door to his right and silently opened it. Inside was a small room with a bunk bed in the corner. And on the bottom bunk was a red, tin box. Billy went to it and opened it.

"Yes!" he whispered. It was a tool box. Something in here was bound to get that door open. Billy slung the M4 across his back and turned to leave.

Fox yelped as Billy's foot got caught underneath him. Billy lost his balance and fell flat on his chest. In the process, the toolbox flew out of his hands and hit a wall.

The ensuing racket, in Billy's horrified opinion, was loud enough to wake the dead.

It definitely woke up the wurmple. Billy watched as the blue balls began popping open and the wurmple swarmed towards him.

* * *

Rebecca had been sitting on the floor for damn near twenty minutes. All she had to do was watch the rain fall through the hole in the ceiling. But she was too worried about Fox and the rest of Bravo Team to be bored. Edward's frantic request rang through her mind again, as his grip grew tighter and tighter on her arm, until he finally died.

What was happening out here? What made dead people come alive? What was wrong with those luxray and wurmple? Where was this train going? And who had started it?

Rebecca looked up with a start. She was hearing singing.

It sounded like a woman's voice. The singing was all around her. It almost seemed like it was coming from the very walls. She got up and looked outside a nearby window.

Outside, rain poured. But almost immediately, moonlight shone through the clouds and illuminated the surrounding forest. But only for a moment. But in that moment, Rebecca could see a large rock raised up over the trees. And on top of that rock was a man.

Scratching at the door made her jump. She backed herself against the wall and drew her M9 as the scratching continued. The lock suddenly popped out of the back side of the door, hitting the floor with a dull _thunk_. The door then swung inward, allowing Fox to run through and into Rebecca's arms. Standing on the other side of the doorway was Billy, covered head to toe in blue slime. In his right hand was a screwdriver.

"Fuck this train." Billy spit on the floor. "Grab your stuff, we're leaving."


End file.
